title: Susceptibility to life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias in an animal model of paradoxical sleep deprivation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  According to some reports regarding the increase of cardiac events following sleep deprivation, our study was conducted to clarify the effects of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep deprivation on susceptibility to lethal ventricular arrhythmias in rat.
  
  
  METHODS
  The animal groups included the control group; the sham 48 and sham 72 groups (without sleep deprivation); and the test 48 and test 72 groups, who experienced REM sleep deprivation for 48h and 72h, respectively. For induction of cardiac arrhythmia, aconitine was infused via the tail vein of the animals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After 72h of REM sleep deprivation, the blood pressure (BP) levels and the QTc interval of the electrocardiogram (ECG) were significantly increased (P<.05 and P<.01, respectively). However, the sleep deprivation had no significant effect on the heart rate (HR), myocardial oxygen consumption index, and plasma corticosterone level. Furthermore, sleep deprivation increased the latency times of premature ventricular contraction (PVC), ventricular tachycardia (VT), and also the PVC number; however, it did not increase the number, duration, and severity of VT and ventricular fibrillation (VF).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that 72h of REM sleep deprivation is associated with increased risk for hypertension and QT interval prolongation under nonstressful conditions; however, it does not increase the susceptibility to lethal ventricular arrhythmia in rat.
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran; Physiology Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran; Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran. Electronic address: sjokar@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Siyavash
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Joukar
authors.forename: Soodabe
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghorbani-Shahrbabaki
authors.forename: Vahid
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hajali
authors.forename: Vahid
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sheibani
authors.forename: Nooshin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Naghsh
mesh_terms: D000157:Aconitine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012307:Risk Factors; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012895:Sleep, REM / Q000502:physiology*; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D061585:Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D061585:Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Agonists; D003345:Corticosterone; D000157:Aconitine
keywords: Arrhythmia severity; Blood pressure; Corticosterone; REM sleep deprivation; Ventricular fibrillation; Ventricular tachycardia